May 29, 1992, marks the centenary of the passing of
Bahá'u'lláh. His vision of humanity as one people and of the earth as a common
homeland, dismissed out of hand by the world leaders to whom it was first enunciated over
a hundred years ago, has today become the focus of human hope. Equally inescapable is the
collapse of moral and social order, which this same declaration foresaw with awesome
clarity.

The occasion has encouraged publication of this brief introduction to Bahá'u'lláh's life
and work. Prepared at the request of the Universal House of Justice, trustee of the
global undertaking which the events of a century ago set in motion, it offers a
perspective on the feeling of confidence with which Bahá'ís the world over contemplate
the future of our planet and our race.